Leia Transposed
by TalesByTi
Summary: A pipe-dream wrap-up of Leia's story...
1. Chapter 1

*Note: I wrote this fic prior to _TLJ_ being released*

So here is my little pipe dream for a proper send-off for Leia now that Carrie Fisher has passed. Now, this fic will never be even remotely canon as Leia is actively present in the scenes I have written, but I felt as though she deserved a better send off than just having her death reported after the fact as is likely to happen in either episode VIII or IX now that Carrie has passed. Well I assume this as she had finished filming her scenes for episode VIII prior to her passing, and it was rumored that Leia was to be in episode IX as well but, given that they really can't recast the role, it would only make sense that they fit in an off screen death of Leia either at the end of episode VIII or the start of episode IX. But as episode VIII is not yet released and there has been very little leaked about episode IX this is, of course, speculation on my part. Of course there is the option of using CGI – which, don't get me wrong, is great and all – but I feel like it would be in poor taste to use the technology in this case. Yeah they used it for Rogue One and it worked out fine, and Carrie was cool with it, but that was to recreate a young Leia (which, realistically, could not be portrayed by Carrie) to suit situational plot needs. In this case it would be recreating a recent Leia as we most immediately remember her, and it just doesn't sit right with me. In my opinion it would be disrespectful to Carrie and her family, not to mention it wouldn't really be _our_ Leia. So, that being said, I'll ask you to give me a little latitude on this journey into my imagination and I hope you enjoy what I've come up with.

This story is what I would have ideally liked to see happen at some point post episode VII (I see it as some point in an extended episode VIII and have written it as such, but it could be re-worked for start of episode IX as well), as a way to give some proper closure to Leia after losing Han while still paying homage to them as the iconic couple that they are. If you read " _Han and Leia's Last Stand_ " you'll remember how much of a die-hard HanLeia shipper I am, and how less than impressed I was with how/when they killed Han off – and without Leia at his side to top it all off. That fic was my "screw the canon" fix to the problem. This fic is my "let's write my own canon twist that will never be actual canon because they've already filmed but the movie hasn't been released yet so who cares" fix to the situation. So at the risk of sounding redundant to those who did read my previous fic, my main issue was that they brought Han and Leia back together in _TFA_ just to separate them again. Call it the hopeless romantic shipper in me, but I feel like when you have such an iconic couple you should really give them a fitting end to their story _together_ , not one full of heartbreak and separation. That being said, I just had to find a way to reunite HanLeia at the close of Leia's story, even though Han is dead…so yes, that meant I had to find a way for Leia to die so they could be together again. This kind of also serves to address the fact that we have lost our beloved Carrie Fisher and won't be seeing anymore of Leia post episode VIII (the rumors about her in episode IX via previously unused shots/CGI have been really all over the place and contradictory so for the time being I will just assume episode VIII is the last we will see of her), and Leia dying is the only way her disappearing from the story would make sense. Let's be honest here, Leia isn't the type to just one day – after finally processing the reality of all she has lost – up and say "Fuck this shit, I'm done" then run off, never to be seen or heard from again, with no rational explanation to anyone (yes I had her willing to run off with Han in _Han and Leia's Last Stand_ , but that was so they could be together and presumably the threat of the First Order would have been neutralized at that point). She has dedicated her entire life to the Rebel Alliance then the Resistance and has sacrificed nearly everything for this fight – she'd never just quit to go live a life of complete isolation, it would be totally out of character. Honestly, its Luke's job to run off and hide like a big baby when something goes wrong (come on, you know I'm right!). So here I present my version of Leia's end that stays somewhat true to the existing canon, at least what we do know for sure until episode VIII is released anyway.

This fic is very Leia-centric (well duh, lol), so I haven't written anything of what happens after the end of this fic in regards to everyone's reaction to her death and the continuance of the fight against the First Order. In case you really, really want to know – because I have no intention of actually writing these scenes out – I imagine the period immediately following Leia's death to be a period of great mourning for her loss (especially on the parts of Chewie, Poe, Connix, Rey, and Finn who had developed very close relationships with her over the various stretches of time they all knew her), but a quick return to the continued fight against the First Order – everyone now also fighting in honour of their General's memory. In my realm for this story Connix is, again, a general like in " _Han and Leia's Last Stand_ ", and takes over in Leia's place. I really loved seeing Carrie and Billie together on screen and how they gave Connix a version of the "Leia-buns", and I thought it would have been really nice to see a progression where Connix/Billie took over in place of Leia/Carrie – a generational passing of the torch if you will (maybe I have another fic in the making lol). So enjoy the story and let me know what you think.

As always, I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters, they belong solely to LucasFilm and Disney – I'm only borrowing them for my own entertainment and yours. All legal rights/licenses/ownerships belong to LucasFilm and Disney. I am not receiving any sort of compensation/payment – financial or otherwise – for this work.

Chapter 1: One Last Fight

The late afternoon sun beat down on a large forested area of D'Qar where an epic battle raged between the fighters of the Resistance and First Order Stormtroopers. The soldiers on both sides engaged in heavy blaster fire and explosive assisted combat, occasionally meeting in hand-to-hand battle. Mass casualties lay scattered about the forest floor like discarded rag dolls; small fires caused by errant blaster fire and detonated explosives burned through the brush of the forest floor, causing the air to take on a hazy quality with the resulting smoke. While both sides fought valiantly, the First Order seemed to be gaining quite a bit of ground and the situation was rapidly growing dismal for the fighters of the Resistance.

In a large clearing on the other side of D'Qar sat the remains of the Resistance base – a few bunkers and the command centre surrounded by various X-wings and Resistance transport crafts, with the Millennium Falcon resting in background watching over all that was happening like some guardian angel. All of the remaining personnel on the base were scattering about, preparing for evacuation, as Leia stood in the thick of it all directing various officers and technicians to their escape crafts, her blaster drawn and ready to fight.

Rey and Chewie came into view as they crossed the tree-line into the clearing, carrying Finn under the shoulders between them. He appeared to have sustained a shot to the leg, along with some other milder injuries to his face and torso. Upon seeing them approaching, Leia rushed over immediately to them, the worry evident on her face. Over the past months she'd grown very close to Rey and Finn, they being two of her last links to Han. They truly were wonderful young people, so full of fire and life, and they reminded her of herself, Luke, and Han in their younger days. And, if truth be told, they had made her feel like a mother again. Yes they were adults, but both had lacked parental figures growing up, and after losing Han they had all come together as something of a makeshift family. They had needed her, and she had needed them, and being there to help and guide them had given her purpose, as well as filled the motherly void that had been left in her heart when Ben had succumbed to the Dark Side.

"What happened?" Leia gasped as she came to a stop in front of them, looking over Finn's injuries and trying to estimate the severity of his condition. He'd only recently been cleared of his injuries sustained in his fight with Kylo Ren and she was deeply concerned he would suffer extensive setbacks with these new injuries so soon after.

"The First Order's landed troops on the other side of the ridge," Rey replied breathlessly. "They caught up to us as we were detonating the last charges on the observation deck. They're approaching fast and outnumber our resources still on base. We need to get out of here now."

"Get to the Falcon, we'll cover you," Leia responded briskly. She had been afraid it would come to this, and the fear in the young woman's eyes before her was all she needed to know that things had truly gotten to the worst point imaginable.

Finn looked up at her with confused eyes clouded over with pain from his injuries. "What do you mean you'll cover us? You're coming with us!"

Chewie whortled vehemently in agreement, only quieting down when Leia raised a hand to silence them all.

"I need to make sure the base is evacuated – I'll be on the last transport out of here. You need to go now while there are still enough of us left to delay their forces – Kylo Ren wants Rey and he won't stop until he gets her. This is your best chance to get out of here so you can find a way to defeat him," Leia explained diplomatically. As much as she longed to go with them and the idea of being separated from her newfound family pained her, she knew their safety had to come first.

"What about you? He's after you too…" Rey said in a small, child-like voice with concern evident in her eyes. She wasn't ready to face the possibility of losing the only mother she'd had since she was a very small child.

"I can handle it – "

"This isn't what Solo would want!" Finn interjected powerfully before Leia could say anything else.

Leia looked up into Finn's eyes then, her face hard but not unkind – more so guarded and trying to hide the pain caused by the mention of her husband, and the shambles that were the remains of her heart. "Han's not here," she said softly, though with a strength in her voice that let the young man know she meant business. "And I know he'd want you three to get out of here safely, so that's what you're going to do right now."

"But – " Rey tried to interject, but was quickly silenced by Leia's once again raised hand.

"This is not a negotiation," she said with finality. She activated her wrist comm then and spoke into the small speaker. "Black Squadron, stand by for air support of the evacuation of the Millennium Falcon."

Rey, Finn, and Chewie exchanged frustrated stares before starting towards the Falcon, followed closely by Leia.

Rey and Chewie laid Finn down on a cot in the Falcon's medical bay while Leia got the monitors booted up and gathered the wires needed to connect Finn to the screens so his condition could be assessed. As Leia hooked Finn up to the monitor he reached up and grabbed her hand, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"Please come with us," he begged. She had been so kind to him, and she had been so important to Han – he felt as though he owed it to them both to try and help keep her safe.

"I can't," Leia sighed with a motherly smile. "You'll be fine – I'll meet you at the rendezvous point. Just rest now." She patted his hand affectionately then turned to face Rey, putting gentle hands on her shoulders. "Stay safe and trust your instincts. The Force is always with you Rey."

Rey pulled Leia into a fierce hug then, knowing all too well that there was no changing the older woman's mind and that it could very well be the last time they saw one another. "May the Force be with you," she said softly with a small catch in her voice.

Leia pulled away a moment later and gave the younger woman a reassuring smile before heading to the exit of the medical bay, laying a friendly hand on Chewie's arm and giving him a smile of farewell as she left.

Leia had no sooner exited the bay when Chewie went after her, finally catching up to her at the top of the boarding ramp and laying a furry paw on her shoulder to halt her movement.

"Chewie, please, you need to go while we can still cover you," she pleaded as she turned to face the Wookie with tired eyes. She was so tired of having to argue with everyone.

Chewie responded with a series of frustrated moans, eliciting an exasperated sigh and glare from Leia.

"I know what Han wanted! But it can't be that way, so will you please just do as I ask and get them out of here before it's too late!"

Chewie whined sadly at her outburst. He had grown to love the Princess like he'd loved Han, and he'd always promised his best friend if anything ever happened to him that he would protect Leia.

"I love you too Chewie," she said softly, regretting having lost her temper with him. "Everything will work out as it's meant to, ok? Now go – I'll see you soon."

Chewie hugger her fiercely then, as though he might not get the chance to again, and Leia returned the embrace warmly. After they parted he patted the top of her head lovingly and whortled a goodbye before heading down the corridor to the cockpit as she descended the boarding ramp.

Leia watched as the Millennium Falcon's boarding ramp closed and the ship made its ascent into the atmosphere before jumping to lightspeed, sighing with relief that her friends were safely heading off the planet. There wasn't much she could do to help the Resistance and those serving under her now, but she could at least face whatever came with the knowledge that she had gotten those nearest and dearest to her out of immediate danger. She was about to make her way towards the last of the transport vehicles when a series of small explosions erupted from the tree line, hitting several of the still stationary X-wings and transport crafts.

The Resistance personnel that remained on base began to engage in heavy blaster fire with the emerging Stormtroopers. Leia quickly became caught up in the blaster fight, firing shots in every direction as she made her retreat towards the transport vehicles, dodging explosions on her way. She managed to activate her wrist comm and shouted above the din that surrounded her, "All Resistance personnel evacuate base now! I repeat, evacuate now!"

Leia began to run towards the last transport craft still standing but fell under heavy blaster fire, taking a hit to her shoulder. She stumbled to the ground and rolled for cover behind the body of a destroyed X-wing, trying to plan another route of evacuation for herself. Her wrist comm suddenly opened to transmission, the voice of a Resistance officer patching through static interference.

"General Organa! Report your location, we'll come retrieve you!"

Leia peered over the edge of the body of the X-wing and saw Stormtroopers swarming the area – there was no clear path for her to exit, let alone for a rescue team to come get her. She lifter her wrist closer to her mouth so her message could be heard over the barrage of blaster fire and explosions and called out, "Negative! Evacuate now!"

"General, we aren't leaving you behind –"

"Evacuate now! That's an order!" she barked back, frustration and pain evident in her voice.

There was a rush of static on the other end of the comm before the officer's voice patched through once more. "May the Force be with you General…" he said with reluctance.

"May the Force be with you," she responded before hearing the transmission go dead. She looked over the edge of the X-wing once more to see the transport take off successfully, albeit under heavy fire. She breathed a sigh of relief, having succeeded in getting the last people she could off the planet safely. She scanned the area, searching for any way out of her predicament and a bit frustrated with the turn of events on her end – she really was in a mess this time. She settled back behind the X-wing, gripping her shoulder as a bolt of pain zapped through it, and her gaze fell to a duffle bag on the ground to the left of her. Upon a second look she saw that the bag was full of hand-held explosive devices.

"That could work," she mused to herself as she got up onto her knees and swung the duffle onto her good shoulder, albeit with some difficulty, then readjusted her grip on her blaster. She carefully looked over the edge of the X-wing once more and fired off several shots at a few approaching Stormtroopers, hitting every one of her marks. She threw a few explosives in the direction from where the Stormtroopers had approached for additional cover, then made a run for the tree line and the high ground. As she ran she intermittently tossed explosives in her wake, creating continued cover for her retreat and taking out a few Stormtroopers in the process.

However, despite her best efforts at evasion, Leia sustained another blaster shot to her already injured shoulder and one above her hip as several Stormtroopers began to close in on her. She was growing tired and her wounds bleeding profusely, but she refused to surrender. By some miracle of fate, or the Force, or whatever, she managed to push through the pain and make it to the cover of the tree line. She reached into the duffle and pulled out a remote detonator, then placed the duffle on the ground in a thick collection of trees before running several feet off and detonating all of the remaining explosives with the remote before running deeper into the forest.

The massive blast that followed caused the pursuing Stormtroopers to stop dead in their tracks so as to prevent their own injury from the explosion. A swatch of forest at least a fifty feet wide and of unknown depth burst into a wall of flame and smoke, blocking all visibility of the regions behind the blast. After watching the blaze for several moments with no sign of anyone running from the forest and the flames, the first of a group of three Stormtroopers took a few steps back and began to retreat from the area.

"No one could have survived that, let's head back to base," he said, his voice distorted by the large helmet he wore.

"But Lord Ren will want evidence of her demise," called another of the two remaining troopers, his tone clearly indicating that he was a younger trooper despite the interference of his helmet.

The third trooper scoffed and said, "What evidence? After a blast like that there won't be anything left."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Fading into the Galaxy

Twilight was falling on a small clearing in the middle of the woods on the high ground of D'Qar. Leia was lying back against the trunk of a tree, looking up at the stars beginning to emerge in the early night sky and praying everyone had made it to the rendezvous point safely. She was surrounded by complete silence – no noise from the fight below invaded this place.

She shifted her position and resettled against the tree, her eyes and face pinched in pain and exhaustion. She hadn't partaken in such heavy hands-on combat in quite some time, and she feared she had grown too old for it now if her current physical state was any indication. Her hair was in disarray, multiple strands having fallen loose from her braided crown and now dancing around her face in the light evening breeze. Sweat painted her brow, while her face and neck were smudged in soot and ash from the explosions. Her blaster wounds bled steadily as she took in deep gulps of air, desperately trying to block out the pain as her eyes slowly drifted shut. _I'm definitely too old for all of this_ , she thought to herself with a discouraged sigh.

"Lookin' a little worse for wear there, Your Worship…" teased a familiar voice.

Leia's eyes flew open at the sound of the voice and she quickly looked around to find the source, but no one was in sight. She slowly closed her eyes once more and let out a heavy sigh. "Just great – I'm shot _and_ losing my mind…"

"You're a lot of things, Your Highness, but crazy ain't one of them," chuckled the disembodied voice.

With eyes still closed Leia replied, "A lot of people would disagree with you…I'm hearing and talking to someone who isn't here after all."

A soft blue haze began to form a few feet away from Leia, in just moments coming into shape as the Force-ghost of Han, looking every bit the scoundrel he always was.

"Open your eyes Princess," he prodded with a sweet smile that she couldn't see.

"But I'm so tired," she sighed, her eyes still closed.

Han crossed his arms over his chest, an unimpressed grimace marring his face. "Still stubborn as a Bantha I see…"

Leia's eyes flew open with a fiery glare at his last comment, but her gaze softened in disbelief and surprise as she saw Han standing before her. "Han…" she whispered, almost scared that if she spoke too loudly he would disappear.

He gave her a roguish grin and ambled over towards her, taking a seat at her side. "Hey Sweetheart."

She stared at him with eyes wide as saucers, still not believing the sight before her. "You're…but…how?" she stuttered in complete bewilderment.

Han chuckled – he'd always found her so damn adorable when she was confused. "Yeah, it was a bit of a shock for me too. Who'da thunk it huh? _Me_ , part of the big, powerful Force…"

Leia just smiled at him then. While she was still a little surprised, part of her found it almost made sense anyway. He had always had such uncanny luck and sense for when things would go wrong – or right – and how else could that be explained other than by some power, or Force, greater than him. He'd also had a strength in him that no normal man could possess – how else could he have survived the torture Vader had subjected him to and then being frozen in carbonite? No it made perfect sense to her, and it was quite ironic too with how he had so adamantly argued against there being such thing as "the Force" for so much of his life. It was almost like a karmic joke the fates had played on him. As she thought about it, however, a realization came to her and caused a sad frown to replace the gentle smile she'd given him only moments before.

"But if you're part of the Force…why haven't you ever come to me before?"

A pained expression crossed Han's face as he answered, "I was worried what you might do if I did…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, completely confused. "I've missed you so much, sometimes I could hardly breathe…"

Han looked down at the ground between them, plucking at a few strands of grass with glowing fingers. "I know…and I knew if I revealed myself to you it would only make it harder for you, and…"

"And?" she prompted, not really following his line of thought.

Han let out a gruff sigh and looked up directly into her warm, brown eyes. "I didn't want you hurting any more than you already were – and I sure as hell didn't want you doing anything reckless so you'd make your way over here any faster than you're meant to." A smug grin played upon his lips then as he teased, "But I see you've been your usual reckless, danger-seeking self anyway – especially today."

Leia understood what he meant, and she couldn't deny the truth to his words. She looked away sadly as she said, "I have nothing left. Ben's lost to me forever…Luke's gone…and you're dead. Lately I've been more of a threat to the Resistance than an asset. I'm so tired and lonely Han…it just doesn't seem worth it anymore…"

"Well Finn and Rey seem to love and need you," he mused.

"They are wonderful, and I love them dearly…but it isn't the same Han. They aren't you – they aren't the family we built," she sighed woefully.

Han reached out to place a loving touch to the back of her head. She could only feel the smallest whisper of a touch, but she leaned into it all the same.

"You have never been alone Leia – I've always been with you, even when you couldn't see me," he said tenderly, understanding perfectly where she was coming from – he had been in the same place too once upon a time. A smirk came to his lips then as he teased, "How do you explain getting out of a few of those scrapes you never should have? I mean, you're pretty powerful Princess, but you made a real mess of things for yourself a few times – if it hadn't been for my help…"

Leia turned to face Han with a fiery glare. "Nerf herder…" she groused.

Han smiled at her, glad to see the fire in her eyes again.

At the sight of his warm smile her face softened, she couldn't bear to stay vexed at him after longing to see him all this time. "I wanted you _here_ …I _needed_ you here…"she said with tears shining in her eyes.

Han reached out and laid his hand upon hers. "I know Sweetheart, and I'm sorry I couldn't be – but I'm here now."

Leia winced in pain, grabbing at her shoulder and her hand quickly becoming stained with the hue of her own blood as her wound continued to bleed. Han grimaced at the sight of her in pain – he never had been able to bear watching her suffer.

"Does that mean…what I think…it means?" she asked, with difficulty as the pain took her breath away.

Han reached up and caressed her cheek. "Yep. I'm here to bring you over to the other side." Then, with a sly grin, he said, "Or, as I like to call it, _the big Force-field in the sky_."

Leia chuckled at his comment, then grabbed at her side as a shot of pain seared through her hip. "Don't make me laugh laser brain – I'm injured remember?" she scolded in a gasping voice.

Han couldn't bear to see her in her current state any longer and decided to try something he never had before in an effort to make things easier for her final moments. He put his hands out in front of him and gently waved them over the sites of her wounds, causing a warm sensation to run over her and some of her pain to subside.

"Thanks," she sighed gratefully. "I didn't know Force-ghosts could do that."

"Neither did I," he chuckled in reply. He was just glad it had worked.

"Han?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What's it like?"

Han let out a low whistle and looked at her with serene eyes. "It's beautiful…peaceful…"

Leia shook her head then and tried to clarify her statement. "No – what does it _feel_ like? To cross over…"

Han gave her a gentle smile – she wasn't one to show any signs of fear or vulnerability, but when she let him see those parts of her it was so endearing and her trust in him just warmed his heart. "It's just like waking up from a dream."

"That sounds nice," she sighed with a peaceful expression on her face.

"Are you ready?"

She looked at him with nervous eyes and asked, "You'll stay with me?"

"Of course," he agreed. Then with a teasing smile he added, "Like it or not, you're stuck with me for eternity now Princess."

"Well I think I like the sound of that…even if you are a scoundrel," she retorted with a smirk of her own.

"Good," Han chuckled. "Now close your eyes and you'll be over here before you know it."

"Han…" she murmured hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Could you…hold me, until I make it over?" she asked with the voice of a child.

"I'll do you one better," he grinned in reply.

Han gently took Leia into his arms and kissed her soft and slow, her eyes drifting shut as the warmth from his lips spread to hers. An ethereal blue light ignited at the point where their lips met and slowly began to spread over her body until it surrounded her completely from head to toe and she transformed into a Force-ghost.

She slowly opened her eyes and pulled back from Han. They smiled at one another happily, their eyes full of love.

"I love you," she sighed happily.

"I love you too," he replied warmly.

They rose from the forest floor then, hand in hand and began to walk towards the tree line. Han wrapped an arm around her shoulders and her arm snaked its way around his waist as they got closer to the tree line. As they continued to walk into the trees they slowly faded from sight as darkness fell.

A few minutes later, up in the sky above the last spot where the couple had been visible, two stars came into view, shining brilliantly – brighter than all the others in the night sky – as the galaxy welcomed them home.

 **THE END**

I have just a few additional notes to add some further context to this story – I didn't include them before as they were a bit spoiler-ish in my opinion, but I figured there may be some questions so here are some explanations I figured readers may want to further grasp the full situation surrounding the story.

For starters, I have not included Luke in this story as I couldn't think of a way to include him that would make a whole lot of sense, given that my main focus was on Leia's exit and reuniting with Han and having Luke present might have hindered/overshadowed that – not to mention, Luke's absence plays a role in how Leia is starting to give up in my story. I have two possible explanations for how his absence could be explained, but I couldn't really decide which I liked best – so I will tell you both the ideas I had on the matter and let you choose which one you prefer to take as the truth in how you perceive the story. The first one is that Leia's death takes place before Rey and Chewie have gone off to find Luke – perhaps there has been a delay in discovering the rest of the map as in my story Leia has no hope of Luke returning. As such, this would mean that the final scene with Leia in _TFA_ has not taken place, and would be messing around with the existing film canon a bit. The second option is that, despite being found by Rey and subsequently training her as a Jedi, Luke has opted to remain a recluse on his little island in the middle of nowhere as he is still unable to deal with how things turned out with Kylo Ren etc. – still suiting the need for a reason for Leia to still have no hope for Luke's return. Like I said, take your pick – or feel free to come up with your own explanations for Luke's continued absence.

Secondly, as we saw in _TFA_ , Kylo Ren is hell bent on either luring Rey to the Dark Side or destroying her due to her incredible Force sensitivity/Jedi potential and, therefore, great threat to the goals of Snoke and the First Order. In this story I also have him seeking out Leia. Like in " _Han and Leia's Last Stand_ ", I decided to run with the idea that in order to fully cross over to the Dark Side and prove his loyalty to Snoke, Kylo Ren had to destroy his final links to the Light – his parents. Given that he killed Han in _TFA_ that would leave Leia left to be dealt with. Well, in this story the little creep doesn't get the chance to even try to kill her, but there's the backstory for you anyway.

In the time between _TFA_ and this story I have imagined that Leia became quite fond of and close to Rey and Finn – they being two of her last, recent connections to Han. I've imagined her as being both a mentor and very maternal figure to both of them – perhaps I have some more fic fodder here lol. The whole Force-sensitive thing factors into her relationship with Rey, of course and, seeing as I cut Luke from this story entirely, perhaps Leia even helped Rey with some of her Force skills (oh man…more fic fodder).

Now for what I'm sure you all must be wondering about – Han is a Force-ghost! How did that happen?! Well, I kind of always thought it would be funny in an ironic sort of way if Han was Force sensitive all along, given how much he refused to buy into the whole thing for so long. Just think about it for a minute – it would definitely explain certain aspects of Han's strength and "luck" in certain situations over the course of his history. Anyway, you can have Force sensitivity in various degrees, right? Just look at Maz Kanata in _TFA_ , she wasn't a Jedi but could absolutely sense things in the Force to certain degrees. And if you can be Force sensitive in degrees, surely you can have some control over whether or not you use those powers – be it a conscious or subconscious choice – right? So my thoughts/beliefs here are that Han was always Force sensitive to a certain extent but his denial regarding the Force just served as a subconscious block to the full realization of those powers, which of course resulted in him getting quite the surprise in the afterlife lol. As for Leia, I think a small part of her always knew Han had some Force-sensitivity, but she just didn't push on the matter given his stubbornness about it – hence her slight surprise but ready acceptance of Han as a Force-ghost in this story. Also, by making Han a Force-ghost I had a way to permanently reunite HanLeia after death that was theoretically sound given the existing canon RE: the passing on and afterlife of Force-sensitives/Jedi like ObiWan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker – I wasn't really sure if Force-sensitives and non-Force-sensitives alike mingled in a common afterlife, so I figured I wouldn't take the chance lol.


End file.
